Priestess
by I Vanaheim I
Summary: When Naruto's seal is starting to lose it's effectiveness and the Kyuubi is on the brink of freedom, Sakura is determined to to anything that will save him- even if it means loosing her life. [Formerly known as Deals With the Devil.]
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own anything. I will only state this once, but it pertains to this whole work. _

Warning: This story is rated M for descriptions of intense gore. This warning will be edited to each chapter to warm anyone who has any particular issues.

And so we begin the epic rewriting of Deals With the Devil, which might get a name change later on.

Happy reading.

-0-

The silence that permeated the air hung heavy on her thin shoulders. The sun had set long ago on this hidden place and would never rise here again. The air was thick with decay and felt heavy on her tongue, it tasted like bile.

This land was blackened and stuck in a state of perpetual twilight, reasons why were hard to come by as the few villages that managed to make a living here didn't know or wouldn't even speak to outsiders.

The air was stagnant and Sakura raised a hand to the collar of her shirt and lifted it to her nose, it helped block out some of the strange smell that permeated this shrine but not all of it. She stifled a cough and shrugged her cloak tighter around her slight frame.

The shrine before her was small compared to the ones she was used to in Konoha, it stood several feet taller that her and was made of mildewed gray stone; small patches of slimy moss could be seen in the deeper cracks. It looked to be a single roomed building, a rotted wood door hung limply on dilapidated hinges. Sakura didn't want to touch it.

"So this is the shrine of the Death God." Her voice sounded meek in her own ears and held a tremble that could either be fear or disgust, more than likely it was both.

She steeled her nerves and took a deep reassuring breath- she had a very important mission to accomplish, one that didn't pertain to the simple retrieval mission that Tsunade had sent her on, but one that was important for someone else.

This was for Naruto, and the beast that was sealed within him.

Sakura was sure that she wasn't the only one that had noticed the signs of the legendary demon fox breaking through its seal, but hopefully she would be the last. Naruto's temper had been volatile the last few months; he was extremely easy to anger and would often break out into fights. And Sakura had made the mistake of challenging him to a fight, her reasoning had been that maybe he just needed to let off some steam- the whole village was mourning the loss of Jiraiya, but Sakura knew that Naruto was taking it harder than most. He had been the surrogate father that Naruto had never had.

And so, Sakura had challenged him to a no holds fight, and when Naruto had transformed into his three-tailed version almost immediately and Sakura knew that this wasn't Naruto, this wasn't the boy she had grown to love as a brother- but this was the Kyuubi.

And after she had managed to subdue Naruto, that was after she had sustained several broken ribs and a shattered ankle, she had begun to do some research. The Art of Sealing wasn't a very common profession in Konoha, and the only seal master she had known was Jiraiya. So, with Tsunade's permission she had managed to get herself into the vaults of the more sketchy texts and found some pretty interesting stuff on seals used on the tailed beasts.

The beast's had been around since the Sage of Six Paths, and that was centuries ago- and once people had managed to even think of finding a way to seal away these massive beings of power- the beasts had managed to fight their way through the seals. And it seemed every hundred years or so from what Sakura could gather the beasts became immune to the seals. And it seemed that the new rotation was about to begin.

The time it would take for a Seal Master to create and utilize a new seal would take years- and that was something Naruto didn't have.

For that was the reason she had decided to visit this cursed place- was to make a pact with the God that lived here, well that was_ if_ he still lived here. The shaman woman two villages over said that this was where one went to sell their soul.

Sakura shivered and took a couple steps forward. She had scanned the area earlier and hadn't noticed anything; this included no animals or living plants to be seen. And surprisingly she didn't find that to be so strange considering what kind of God was said to inhabit here.

She raised her arm to open the door and hesitated. Was this really worth it?

She stopped and nodded to herself. Yes, it was- this was for Naruto, her most precious person, and if he wasn't worth this than no one was.

And so Sakura grabbed the handle of the rotted door turned once and pushed. The door gave way easily, dropping pieces of termite infested wood as it went. She stepped inside quietly and almost lost her meager breakfast at the sight before her.

The only light that entered the building was from the crudely made hole in the roof. The shrine was made of black metal, glinting ominously in the faded light, and stood about three feet off the ground. It was hard to tell, but there seemed to be a large hole in the center dais and Sakura could safely assume that is was a large gaping mouth in the center- a black hole to nowhere. But the part that made her sick to her stomach were the teeth, they were as long as her forearm and violently sharp- with pieces of animal carcasses and what looked like the remnants of a human ribcage that was still in the process of rotting. She could see maggots writhing around the ragged pieces of blackened meat that hung limply in the teeth.

Sakura turned her head to the side and vomited her breakfast over the black stone floor. After several moments of dry heaving she felt slightly better and was able to look at the shrine again. She straightened up, and pulled her collar back around her nose, tighter this time.

The pink haired ninja circled around to the back of the shrine, where she found three short steps that led up to the gaping mouth. She was shaking and she cursed quietly under her breath as she tried in vain to steel her nerves.

Once she was standing over the mouth, Sakura thought back on what the shaman woman had told her, once she had made it to the shrine, she was to make a blood offering- and then call out to the god of death.

Jashin.

Sakura breathed and held up the knife the woman had given her. It was ancient, dusty and made from the sharpened rib bone of a child, the legend stating that the bone came from one of the God's own children. It made Sakura sick to even hold it.

But hold it she did and within a few seconds she held her slit palm over the mouth of the shrine and squeezed until bright red blood oozed from her fist. At first she couldn't tell if anything had happened, but then she felt a rumble and what sounded like a contented sigh come from the mouth in the ground.

And to her utter horror, the hole began to convulse and made swallowing motions, the sharp and elongated teeth shifting and tilting inwards, as if to draw in whatever had fed it- to take more. The movement dislodged the rotted torso she had seen earlier and it made sickening thuds as it was swallowed down the hole and banged against the sides of the endless tunnel.

Taking another deep breath, Sakura opened her mouth and shouted the incantation that the shaman had begrudgingly told her.

"Oh hear me, Shinigami of this Realm, I call forth Jashin to strike a bargain! My wager is my soul!" Her voice caught on the last part and she could feel her heart rate climb as she felt the urge to run.

She wasn't supposed to be here, that much was obvious, but she knew that this was the only way to help Naruto, the only way to help her precious person. And if it cost her her life then it was a price she was glad to pay.

Several minutes had passed before she heard any kind of response.

It started as raspy laughter that reverberated within the ground and made Sakura's hair stand to attention. She resisted the urge to rub her arms to rid herself of the gooseflesh.

Then the ground began to rumble and only through her extensive training had she been able to keep her balance as a thick black torrent of smoke began to twist its way past the teeth of the gaping mouth- where it began to make the vague outline of a man. He was transparent and dark, with no discernable features- but his mouth opened in a silent scream and then he rushed at Sakura.

Sakura didn't notice she was moving until her back hit the wall of the room, a hand shaped wisp of smoke securely wrapped around her throat- growing tighter and tighter as it took on a more solid form, until the pinkette was clawing at the smoke so she could breathe, her fingers passed through the smoke as if nothing was there- black spots began to dance in her vision and she was on the verge of blacking out.

Before she could lose consciousness, the pressure at her throat released and she gasped for breath, falling to her knees and holding her neck- fingers immediately glowing green to heal the ligature marks appearing on her fair skin. She coughed once, three times then slowly raised her emerald eyes to meet the form she had conjured. He had taken several steps back onto the dais and floated gently above the mouth.

The first thought that ran through her head was that this man was attractive. He was tall, lean and nude, with ashen white hair that hung down his bare chest in soft waves, stopping around his navel. His skin was odd, stark black with his skeleton outlined in what she assumed was white paint. His face reminded Sakura of nobility, high cheek bones and a thin nose with piercing grey eyes.

He was frighteningly beautiful- and for a split second Sakura could see why people had worshipped him so long ago.

She had opened her mouth to speak her bargain but he cut her off, his voice dark and smooth as he spoke.

"Why have you called me from my kingdom mortal?" Sakura could feel herself quiver as she attempted to form a response. "You are vibrant with life, and should not pass through this realm of the dead."

"I, I have come… I'm here to strike a bargain." Her voice was shaky but gained strength as she went on, further reiterating the reason she was here in her head. This is for Naruto. You have to be strong for him.

"I see, and what are your terms?" His face held a crooked smile, white teeth gleaming in the gloom and it made shivers run down Sakura's back. She hesitated for several moments before she was able to gather her thoughts and speak her terms.

"I trade my soul for the _permanent_ sealing of the Kyuubi within Naruto of Konoha, and that upon Naruto's death- the Kyuubi dies as well- its chakra reabsorbed within the earth." She paused, thinking. "And that Naruto's death may only be cause by natural causes." Her last words came out in a rush as she tried to seal any loopholes the first request had left; it wouldn't do if she got home to find out that Naruto had died before his time.

The God before her straightened up as the full power of her request settled within him. "You know that this will cost you your life." His voice was soft, and pleasing to her ears, soft and seductive.

Sakura nodded once in affirmation. "He is worth it." This was it then, she was going to die for Naruto. Emerald eyes met with that of Death and she smiled calmly, a serene feeling steeling over her body. At those words, Jashin grinned and nodded.

"There is much talk of this boy, Naruto, within the circles of the Kami." The God mused, bringing a hand to stroke his chin pensively. "It really wouldn't do for him to die before his time." He gave a knowing smile and a dry sound escaped his mouth. "He is destined for great things."

His form had begun to waiver and he sighed. "Well, I have a few terms of my own human." Jashin's eyes narrowed slowly as they took in the look on Sakura's face. She was smiling; this simple human girl was smiling in the face of death. He scoffed.

"No, I will not take your soul." His tone held a note finality in it, and he reveled as he watched the girl's face turn from one of acceptance into horror. "I will not take your life in exchange for the terms you have selected."

Sakura straightened up, and opened her mouth to shout her protest- but before she could get a sound out Jashin was in front of her.

He placed a chillingly cold finger on her mouth, hushing her protest and leaving an icy feeling running through her veins. He leaned forward and placed his mouth on her ear. A quiet sigh left Sakura's lips.

"I will not take your soul- because you're going to become my new Honored Priestess." His words were soft and Sakura could hear the wretched smile in his voice.

"It really has been too long since I had an actual Priestess, making sacrifices in my name." Jashin's voice was quiet as he grabbed Sakura's hand- the one that was still freely bleeding into her khaki cloak- and raised the cut to his mouth. "The sacrifices for the women are _very_ different than those of the men."

He pulled back and locked his grey eyes with those of emerald green- then lowered his lips to the wound and began to slowly lick the blood from her hand- a few of the crimson droplets running down his chin to drop on his chest.

Sakura couldn't move, the other voice in her head was screaming and telling her that this wasn't right- that the being before her had changed the terms and this game she was playing was getting more and more dangerous. But Sakura only blinked once and watched in a sort of stunted awe as the God of Death laved his tongue on her palm and tasted her life essence.

The voice in her mind slowly lost volume, until all was in her mind was a quiet blankness.

Once Sakura's hand was free from the blood, the God pulled back and drifted silently back to his alter. His eyes were heavy lidded and he looked content.

"My last Priest got himself blown to bits." Jashin sighed. "That foul-mouthed man was a fool, trying to take on the Nara boy." He shook his head then locked gazed with Sakura again- her eyes were bright but held an empty note to them. Shock probably.

"Listen here girl, I will take on your terms- but instead of your life and soul as payment you will live forever in my service as my new Honored Priestess, and dig up that foul-mouthed heathen buried within your beloved village and together you will rebuild my shrine." He paused and let out a scathing laugh. "All the while preforming sacrifices in my name." He smiled, and this time it held a note of warmth as he turned away from her to look up into the hole in the ceiling. "And in return, I will permanently seal the Kyuubi into that boy's soul so that it will die when he does." He glanced towards Sakura again as she managed to muster up a weak glare. "And I won't take him until his time has come." He finished.

"I…" The word had left her mouth unbidden. Would she really be able to do this? Would she really be able to kill innocent people in the name of the Death God?

She closed her eyes and nodded weakly to herself, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She looked at Jashin defiantly and nodded once. "I accept your terms." This was for Naruto_. This was for Naruto_.

And that's when he kissed her.

His lips were firm but gentle as they moved against her own and Sakura was shocked at first, but then almost against her will she reciprocated the kiss. She felt him smirk against her mouth- and then he pulled away. And Sakura was ashamed to admit that she almost didn't want him to.

"A deal with death is always sealed with a kiss." He whispered as he placed his hand between her breasts and pushed gently, she slowly looked down to see a gleaming silver pendent now hung on a black leather cord between her breasts, the simple circle with the inverted triangle in the middle.

"Now there's one last thing." He grinned once more and grabbed her wrists- placing his thumbs in the center of each wrist and pushed hard for a split second before Sakura started screaming.

Pain lanced through each of her hands- so hot that she felt as if she would pass out from the pain. This seemed to clear the gray fog that had kept her mind subdued, no doubt this was a trick used by the God to obtain whatever he wanted.

She screamed again as the pain intensified, and she tried her hardest but was unable to channel chakra to the burning appendages to help ease whatever was causing her so much pain.

And then with a snap of Jashin's fingers the pain was gone- and in the places where he had pushed his thumbs there stood twin marks- black as night symbols that matched the silver between her breasts.

Wet emerald eyes looked up to meet with the smiling face of the Death Kami and he began to laugh. "I will speak with you later, Sakura."

His voice faded from her ears and then she blacked out.

-0-

When Sakura awoke alone, she was only aware of the burning sensation that permeated her hands and left them feeling like they were dying.

With a half-heard cry everything that had transpired between her and the Death Kami begun to flash before her eyes- and for several moments she mourned the decision she had made. If what Jashin had said was true, then she was immortal- just like that Akatsuki that Shikamaru had buried.

So in the end, she would sit by and watch as all of her friends and family moved on with their lives, got married, had children- hopefully retired and died.

But she would have none of that. She was stuck in the body of a twenty-year old and would never be able to grow old with the man of her choosing. And it was for this fact that she cried, sobbing loudly and shamelessly as she mourned the life she would never have, fat round tears pouring from her eyes an soaking her khaki cloak.

Eventually she had run her body out of tears, and managed to sit up from her position on the cold grimy floor. The pain in her hands had subsided mostly, leaving only a mild tingling behind which was slightly uncomfortable but she could manage.

With cloudy eyes she managed to stand, and she could feel herself shaking. Sakura leaned against the cold stone wall and gathered herself, taking several deep breaths until she had managed to calm down and accept the fact that yes, she was doomed to eternal life but at least Naruto would have the chance at a normal life. And that's what mattered. That's all that mattered he would be able to bring Sasuke home where he belonged and then become Hokage- settling down with Hinata and having a few kids.

With that thought she managed to steel her expression into one of a subdued calm, and stormed out of the temple.

-0-

The trip back to Konoha was quick, mainly because Sakura was eager to check on her teammate to make sure that Jashin had kept true with his half of the bargain.

The feeling that filled her when she entered the northern gate was one of relief to see that everything was where it was supposed to be- that the Kyuubi hadn't broken through and gone on a rampage.

She nodded to the guards as she signed her return papers and showed then the proper identification- not that the last part was necessary, mostly everyone knew her as Tsunade's apprentice and her pink hair.

Kotetsu was manning the gate today and as Sakura handed him her papers and the clipboard that kept track of all of who left and entered the village he tried to strike up conversation.

"How're you today Sakura? Mission go well?" He smiled and nodded in her direction.

Sakura nodded and gave a small smile. "Yes, everything went fine."

"Tsunade said to report to her once you've gotten back." Izumo cut in on Kotetsu's left. "She said it was important."

Sakura nodded at the pair and said her goodbyes.

She left quickly and decided to travel to the Hokage tower by rooftop- if Tsunade said with was important that could mean anything, but Sakura was convinced that it had to do with the contents of the scroll in her leg pouch.

And so she sighed and pushed chakra in her legs, taking bounds that no normal person could.

When Sakura swiftly slid into the window of Tsunade's office she was surprised to see Naruto there. Upon catching sight of her he immediately swept her into a bone crushing hug.

"Sakura! I'm glad you're here." He sounded relieved.

"Why?" Sakura asked, running a hand through her pink locks and brushing them away from her face. "Is everything okay?"

Just as Naruto opened his mouth to reply, the door swung open on its hinges and Tsunade entered the room, a stern look on her face.

Sakura immediately bowed and offered up the scroll from her pouch.

"My mission was a success, Lady Tsunade. Here is the scroll." The pinkette said, bowing her head and only raising her eyes when Tsunade didn't take the proffered item.

"Set it down Sakura, we have more important matters to discuss right now." Tsunade sounded tired as she sat down behind her desk, pouring herself some of the sake that was always hidden somewhere in the room.

Sakura placed the scroll on the desk and nodded solemnly, taking a seat next to Naruto. The pair waited quietly while Tsunade finished her drink and gathered her thoughts.

"Naruto's seal is gone, Sakura."

The words hung heavy in the air and Sakura felt fear tingle at the base of her spine. Did Tsunade somehow find out about her deal? Was she going to be suspected for this?

"But, the Kyuubi is still within him. We don't know what happened." Her teacher's voice was tired as she poured herself another glass. "We don't know if this is some kind of attack."

Sakura nodded. "Can you still communicate with Kurama Naruto?" Sakura's voice was a little shaky.

He blond boy nodded. "Yes." He hesitated. "He said that um, someone came to him and spoke in a language he didn't understand- and then the bars disappeared." Naruto ran a hand through his spikey hair. "But he can't leave, he said he tried- but there's something tethering him to me."

Sakura sighed.

"Well," The pinkette said quietly. "If the Kyuubi is still unable to break free- and Naruto is still able to connect to him then I don't see why would this would be a problem right? As long as Kurama can't get free then- then we are safe and no one could take him right?" Sakura stopped to take a breath. "Are we completely sure the seal is gone?"

At this Naruto stood and lifted his shirt to expose his stomach- where the swirled ink tattoo was supposed to be was only sun tanned skin.

Sakura's eyes were wide as she took in the sight. "And he has experienced no negative side effects?" Sakura asked Tsunade, emerald eyes meeting with those of amber.

"No, he just woke up yesterday morning with the seal gone and Kurama spouting nonsense about the man that visited him. Naruto doesn't remember anything." Tsunade spoke, taking a slow drink from her sake saucer. "I'm worried that this could have been a botched attack from the remaining members of the Akatsuki." The Hokage sighed into her cup. "But Naruto wasn't harmed and the Kyuubi is somehow miraculously still sealed." She paused. "I had one of the Yamanaka's take a look inside his head, and they found no trace of any tampering- but there's still something keeping the beast sealed- and from what they said it seems to be stronger than the seal that Jiraiya had placed on Naruto."

At the mention of the former Sanin Sakura could hear Tsunade's voice catch on the sound. They were all still mourning the death of one of this villages greatest ninjas.

"Now Sakura, about that scroll- how did the mission go? Did you run into any trouble?"

-0-

When Sakura had gotten to her apartment that evening after telling Tsunade about her mission- excluding of course the parts about where she sold her life to a God of Death in exchange for sealing away the demon within her best friend- the first thing she did was take a long hot shower.

And once that was done, she dressed in white shorts and a thin tank top and proceeded to treat herself with some reheated tempura.

After her meal, she meandered around her second story apartment until she found her way into the hammock she had set up on her porch- where she proceeded to people watch the street until the sun had set and she was left in the muggy night air.

She was tired, emotionally and physically, and as the thought of trying to sleep outside in her hammock crossed her mind she heard a noise.

Ninja instinct kicking in she immediately jumped up and armed herself with one of the many weapons she had hidden around her home. As she tightened her grip on her kunai she crouched low and peered into the sliding glass door that led to her dining room.

The lights were off and she couldn't see anything other than the faint light that permeated the house from the street lights. Sakura slid the door open silently and stepped inside her home- fully expecting the worse, a burglar, foreign ninja, or any sort of monster- but there was no one.

Well no one was a bit of an understatement- there was a floating shadow flitting through her living room. And at first Sakura thought it was just a trick of the light- but once she located its face and saw the eerily glowing grey eyes of Jashin she placed a hand over her mouth.

"I see you've made it back unharmed, Priestess." The ghost chuckled as she stepped into the living room- her kunai thumping quietly to the floor.

Sakura didn't speak, only looked at the God that was slowly getting more and more corporeal, his form taking on mass until he was as real as her.

"Now, about our bargain," Jashin spoke, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he patted the cushion adjacent to him. "you will see that I have upheld my half of the deal."

Sakura nodded meekly in agreement. It was true, the Kyuubi was sealed and Naruto was safe and sound, as he had promised. Now she just had to uphold her end of the deal, and it made her sick to her stomach to think of what that might entail.

Jashin smiled, pearly white teeth glinting in the light as Sakura moved to sit next to him-slowly inching as far from his as she could until she was practically perched on the arm of the couch.

"Now now, I wouldn't harm you." The man spoke with a gently voice and Sakura could feel the fog that he settled on her mind the first time they met returning. But this time she was expecting it and was able to fend it off- at least for a little while.

"It's time I teach you about how you're to make your offerings to me." Jashin's voice was smooth as silk as he leaned towards Sakura, a glint in his eyes that made her feel uneasy. "And how you should go about unearthing my previous priest."

"I'm not sure you remember, but when we first met I stated that the sacrifices differ from men to women."

The pinkette nodded once, refusing to make eye contact. She was sure that he was going to tell her that she had to sacrifice innocents that she would have to do unspeakable horrors to people who didn't deserve it.

But what he said made chills dance down her spine and her stomach roil in protest.

"You're going to have to sacrifice parts of yourself. Give me your blood and your pain- and through it I will become stronger." Jashin laughed an ugly sound that reverberated through her ears and gave her a headache.

Sakura felt as though she was going to get sick again at the look on the Death God's face. It was perverse and demanding.

But she had done this willingly. She had made this decision to save someone precious to her. And she would be damned if she failed in this task.

-0-


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to chapter two! I'd like to say thank you for all the favorites and watches, I really appreciate it. And I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I had finals and I'm in the process of moving so I've been busy.

Now, as for updating- I currently don't have internet but I have my phone which will hopefully let me upload this, so if you're seeing it then I was successful!

The warning for this chapter contains self-harm and gore, so if that's not your cup of tea then I don't recommend you read this.

Happy reading.

-0-

When Sakura awoke the next morning in her cramped shower stall naked, the first thing she noticed was that she was covered in rust red marks of old blood.

And as the memories came rushing into her tired mind, she sighed and closed her eyes- banging her head sharply against the blue tiled wall. She was torn between screaming and crying.

Jade eyes opened slowly and stared blankly out of the window until her abused mind managed to make sense that it was day time and that she was probably late for her training session with Naruto and Kakashi.

And for once in her life, she didn't mind that she was going to be late. The pinkette sighed once more and held her left wrist up to inspect it closely- the mark one her arm was currently inert seeing as it was dark- last night however it had glowed a sickly purple as she performed her first ritual.

Sakura shuddered as she thought about the things she had done to her body under the watchful eyes of her new God. Jashin had been sufficiently pleased.

Out of curiosity, Sakura held her right pointer finger up and channeled a small amount of diagnostic chakra to the tip of her finger then gently inserted the energy into the ink tattoo on her other wrist. She couldn't feel anything strange, only the simple seal the array made.

And Sakura _not_ being a seal master had no idea what all the seal did, so with a deep breath she stood and stretched until she heard several loud pops from her spine then she turned and proceeded to wash away the dried blood that covered her.

It was hard to convince herself that it was worth it to leave the warm water. Standing underneath the almost too hot water had a certain way of making all your troubles melt away until you were nothing but warmth.

But eventually she ran out of hot water, and soon the comforting spray turned into a jet of icy uncomfortable-ness and she was practically forced onto the yellow tiled floor of her small bathroom.

For several moments she stood there, taking in her reflection in the large mirror and wondering what her life had come to when she heard three taps at her door.

Jade eyes moved lazily towards the direction the sound came from and it took her longer than she would like to admit for her to realize that no one had come barging in. Which would have been the case if it were Ino or Naruto- however the three brisk knocks could be Kakashi, and that was usually not a good sign.

So Sakura sighed and wrapped herself in one of her pink fluffy towels and called out. "I'll be right there, let me get dressed."

When she didn't hear a response she shrugged and walked to her room- where she proceeded to dress in her standard outfit, red top, black shorts, khaki over-skirt and knee height boots.

When Sakura exited her room, she noticed that the door was open and that her teacher was seated on her beige couch.

"Is everything alright Sakura?" Kakashi asked, not turning to look at her. "It's very unusual for you to be so late to one of our scheduled training sessions." His voice was low, and for a moment Sakura thought that maybe he was angry at her, but then he turned and smiled- one visible eye crinkling in the familiar manner. "I sent Naruto to get ramen."

The pinkette sighed, rubbing her face then let out a small chuckle. "I hope you didn't tell him to come here with that." She shot him a look. "You know how unhealthy that is for you."

Kakashi waved a hand in her direction and nodded. "Don't worry, I told him to meet us at the training grounds." He turned to face her. "You are okay right?" His eye showed concern and worry, and Sakura felt guilty.

"I'm fine Kakashi; I got back from a mission that tired me out more than I thought." She chuckled, running a hand through short chopped pink locks. "So, are you ready to go?"

The silver-haired man nodded.

-0-

After a brief race with Kakashi, Sakura won, they made it to the training grounds- where a sleepy faced Naruto was seated under a tree. Five or so empty take out bowls littered the ground around him.

"Heya Sakura!" The blond grinned. "You're late!"

Sakura smiled and looked at Kakashi. "Well," She said with a laugh, "I did learn from the best."

Kakashi chuckled, and then sat down next to the village prodigy that was her surrogate brother. Sakura joined the two, sitting on Naruto's other side.

"So I take it you ate all the ramen." Sakura deadpanned as she gave a despondent glare at the empty bowls in her friends lap. Her stomach grumbled loudly at the thought of missed food.

"Of course not!" The blond said with a grumble. "Yours and Kakashi's are in this bag." Naruto pulled a scroll out of his leg pouch and unrolled it. He made a single hand sign then the aforementioned bag appeared. Steam roiled out of the top of the bag and Sakura was surprised he had found a way for the food to maintain its heat.

"And who taught you this trick?" Sakura giggled as she took one of the bowls. It was pork ramen judging from the smell and that was her favorite.

Naruto's face fell a bit at her question. "Jiraiya taught me that one." A sad smiled formed on the blonds face.

Sakura only nodded and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He looked at her and gave a weak smile.

"So let's dig in, huh?" Sakura suggested with forced cheerfulness. Kakashi murmured in agreement and took the Styrofoam bowl she handed him.

As Kakashi turned around to eat- as he usually did to hide his face- Sakura turn to Naruto.

"So, how's Hinata doing?" Sakura asked, taking a bite of the hot noodles.

"She's doing great!" Naruto responded loudly. His face had lost the bitter sadness and in turn morphed into one of utmost joy. "I'm taking her to dinner tonight!"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Well I'm glad you guys seem to be doing so well!" The pinkette chuckled. "Took long enough." She muttered under another bite of noodles.

-0-

Once Sakura and Kakashi's stomach had been sated, the two took a small break to allow the food in their stomach's to digest and watch Naruto go through a warm up routine with several of his clones.

While one of the clones took a nasty blow to the face Sakura turned to her teacher.

"You know that his seal is gone now, right?" Her voice was hushed as she kept her eyes on Naruto.

"Tsunade told me." Kakashi's voice was equally as quiet. "Do you know anything about it?"

The pinkette shook her head no, but on the inside the voice that kept company in her mindscape muttered guilt over and over again.

"I spoke with the Kyuubi."

Kakashi's words made her stomach sink with dread. "What did he say?"

The silver-haired man paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Someone visited him- and spoke in a language that he didn't understand. Then the bars disappeared." He took another breath. "But then something else happened. Some kind of tether tied the demon to Naruto's soul- and from what the Yamanaka's say Naruto is slowly absorbing the Kyuubi's chakra."

Sakura did her best to look surprised, wide jade eyes swiveled slowly to look her teacher in the eye. "What do you think this means? That Naruto will become the Kyuubi?" Sakura's voice was a bit shaky.

Kakashi shrugged. "For all we know, this could be an attack from Akatsuki." He sighed slowly. "I've got ANBU watching him- and you for that matter- until we can understand who did this and if it's going to cause problems for the village."

At those words, Sakura was angry- and a bit scared. "I can take care of myself you know." She shot him a look of anger. "I've mastered the Strength of a Hundred." Sakura pointed to the purple mark upon her four head. What bothered her most about this situation was Jashin. The God was constantly hanging on her peripheral and if someone caught him in his corporeal form around Sakura then that could only lead to trouble.

"I never said you weren't capable Sakura." Kakashi turned to face her. "I know that you're more than able to take care of yourself." He rubbed a hand through his unruly hair. "It's just a precaution." He paused. "And it makes me feel better."

The pinkette sighed, turning her gaze to Naruto again. He had doubled the amount of his clones and was using half to help build a Rasengan.

"I think it's time we joined him." Sakura said and nodded in Naruto's direction. "He's going to destroy half the training ground like that, and that's my job."

And with that Sakura turned swiftly from her teacher and began to do a simple set of stretches. Once she was done, she channeled some chakra into her legs and leapt into the air- to land directly in front of Naruto.

Blue eyes met green and Sakura smiled- quickly extending her arm into a punch to Naruto's midsection. It connected with a thud and he was sent flying backwards into a small grove of bamboo. The fragile trees shattered and broke around him.

Before he could get back up, Sakura teleported behind him- and channeled more chakra into her heels. She stomped once, twice, and the ground beneath them crumbled and shook causing debris to fly through the air and severely hinder Naruto's field of sight.

"You're going to have to do more than that to keep me down Sakura!" Naruto shouted. She could see him standing in the middle of the cloud of dust from her vantage point. His head whipped around, trying to catch her scent or sound.

He would find none.

Sakura held her left hand into a single handsign- placing the other upon the bark of the tree she was residing in. As Sakura melted into the tree, she managed to see Kakashi across the field- lazily throwing kunai and shuriken at Naruto. The familiar orange book was visible even from here.

Sakura traveled down the tree and through the earth. It was hard to stay underground for more than a few minutes- you couldn't breathe or open your eyes or mouth. All she had to go by was the vibrations of Naruto stomping his way around the training grounds as he avoided Kakashi's projectiles.

Once she had pinpointed his location- Sakura immediately channeled more chakra into her limbs. Her hand shot out of the earth and grabbed Naruto's ankle. And with a carefully edited substitution technique Sakura traded places with Naruto.

She chuckled as she channeled chakra into the earth- moving it until Naruto's dirty head popped free from it.

"Checkmate." Sakura said as she leaned down and looked Naruto in the eyes.

Just as she pulled her defeated teammate from the ground she felt the cool press of metal against her neck.

"Checkmate." Kakashi' whispered in her ear as he brought the metal closer to her skin.

Sakura only gave a short bark of a laugh and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Her voice echoed through the trees as she laughed again.

"Don't speak so soon, Kakashi."

-0-

The trio trained for several more hours, until Sakura was bruised and bloody and dead tired. She had managed to only beat Naruto one more time- then he caught his second wind and beat her into the dirt several more times- aided by Kakashi the two were a fearsome duo.

But she still felt accomplished as she landed lightly on her balcony.

Her house was quiet and dark as she disabled the traps layered around her glass door. She slid it open and stepped inside with a sigh.

The first thing on her list was to take a long hot shower, the other was to order some takeout and sleep until her shift at the hospital started in the morning.

Sakura walked to her bathroom, shedding her clothes as she went until she was standing again in front of her mirror.

She usually wasn't one to gawk at herself in the mirror but something was different.

Sakura had always been a slight girl, thin on the point of looking unhealthy. But over the years since her apprenticeship with Tsunade she had built a thin layer of lean muscle.

The pendent she wore swung gently between her breasts as she leaned over her small counter to get a closer look at her face. She was tired and it showed with black bags under her eyes and a frown marring her forehead.

Just as she was going to turn around and turn the shower on, something caught her eye. Sakura leaned in closer to the mirror- until her nose gently bumped the glass. Something was different with her eyes.

In the center of each pupil there was a silvery dot. It was small but it worried her.

"Great. What more could go wrong with my life?" She grumbled to herself as she sat down on the toilet lid and closed her eyes. If something was really going on with her eyes, say an infection, she would be able to sense it if she went into a meditative state.

So Sakura crossed her legs and sat up straight, closing her eyes and evening out her breathing. Soon she felt her heart rate drop to a steady but slow rhythm. Then she began to search herself using her chakra.

Sakura searched long and hard for any signs of infection or disease, starting from her toes then working her way through the different organ systems and cellular structure. Once she was thoroughly scanning her own brain- she found nothing.

No signs of infection.

Nothing to indicate that her body was under stress.

Deciding that she'd ask Tsunade about it in the morning Sakura decided to go ahead and take her shower.

She spent a long time under the hot spray, letting it wash away the grime she had accumulated through her training session with the remnants of her team.

Once the hot water had run out on her, she stepped out and wrapped herself in one of the many folded cotton towels she kept under the sink.

The pinkette headed to the living room, intent on ordering her food then getting dressed.

Just as she picked up the phone, and pushed the familiar numbers for her favorite take out place she felt a familiar presence.

Sakura turned with a half-hearted glare at the God that stood looming over her. Sakura took a step back and proceeded to order her food- holding up a hand to silence the God.

He looked amused and Sakura was getting irritated. She finished placing her order then slammed the phone down on the receiver.

"What do you want now?" The words were biting as they came out of her mouth. She was irritated and tired, and just wanted to eat then sleep- but no, her new deity demanded attention.

"It's time to talk about resurfacing my Priest." Jashin's tone was quiet and calm as he looked down at Sakura with steely eyes, silver hair cascading down his bare chest as he moved to stand before her.

He was still naked.

Sakura adamantly kept her eyes on his face. "What do you mean." It was more of a statement than a question and Sakura was proud she had managed to keep the small quiver out of her voice.

"I mean, part of our deal Honored Priestess." Jashin's eyes narrowed as he took another step closer- bringing a hand to her chin. He lifted her face until he was peering into her eyes.

He leaned in close, close enough that Sakura could feel faint heat radiating from his body. She gulped.

"I see." The God chuckled and took a step backwards. "You've begun to change already then. This is sooner than I had expected." His face looked pensive as he took in Sakura's towel clad form.

"What?" Sakura's voice was a bit higher than she had intended. "You mean my eyes? Do you know what's wrong with them?" If he had done something to her then she deserved to know, right?

"It's part of the title, Sakura." Jashin chuckled. "You are my Honored Priestess. It is only fitting that you begin to take on my image." He paused and stifled a chuckled at the look on her face. "However…"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Sakura shot the man a glare and tightened her towel around herself and moved to open the door.

Kakashi.

"Sakura." Kakashi nodded at her as he pushed past her and moved into the living room. "My ANBU reported that they heard someone talking in here with you." He turned and locked eyes with the pinkette.

"Are you okay? Who was it?" His voice was stern, visible eye looking around frantically. "I don't sense any other chakra."

Sakura sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No one was here Kakashi; I was just ordering some take-out." She tightened the towel around herself. "Really, I'm fine. I just want to get dressed, eat then sleep okay? And I told you I can take care of myself!"

Kakashi knew the telling signs of his student beginning to get irritated- and an angry Sakura is not a good Sakura.

"Let me… let me just take a look around okay?" His voice sounded defeated but pushed past the towel clad girl to do a sweep of her apartment.

The pinkette could feel irritation bubbling underneath her skin but she took a deep breath and when she exhaled Kakashi was back- a look of confusion on his face.

"Okay, everything seems fine here." Kakashi said sheepishly as he ran a hand through silver hair. "Sorry to interrupt you."

And then he was gone in a swirl of leaves. Sakura knew that she would be stuck cleaning them up.

Sakura sighed and trekked back to her room to get dressed. The shadow of the God followed her back as well.

-0-

Once Sakura had gotten dressed and ate her fill of her tempura she managed to drag herself to bed where she promptly fell asleep.

Her sleep was peaceful at first but soon left her tossing and turning in a cold sweat. She eventually sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. A sigh left her lips as she looked around the pale blue walls of her room.

She had lived in this apartment for a while, ever since her parents had passed. She was given the apartment rent-free by the council as retribution for losing her parents on a village classified mission. The apartment complex was full of younger ninja whose parents had met the same fate as hers.

Sakura stood from her bed and padded into the living room, where she grabbed one of her thicker tomes of medical text and her reading glasses. She turned on a lamp and thought that maybe she could read herself to sleep.

And as if on cue, Jashin appeared and became corporeal beside her- the usual smug look on his face.

"What do you want now." Sakura deadpanned, never looking up from the book in her hands.

"The other part of our deal, Priestess." His voice was smooth as he leaned in closer to her face. "You need to unearth my Priest so you two can begin to rebuild my shrine."

Sakura sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation. "And how do you expect me to do that without causing trouble for myself and this village?"

The God shot her a look of disdain. "I don't care what happens to your village or the problems it will cause. You made this deal, Priestess, and you will abide by your end or I will unseal the beast from that boy's soul." Jashin's tone was chilling to say the least and Sakura could feel power radiate from the being beside her.

"Okay, okay." She conceded, raising her hand up in a passive gesture. "I'll figure something out- you'll just have to give me some time." Emerald eyes locked with silver. "It's not like I'm going to die, you've got plenty of time for me to work this out."

-0-

The rest of the night passed by slowly, Sakura managed to get a few hours of rest before her alarm started going off.

She had taken a shower and was snacking on her leftovers from the previous night when she heard a knock on her door. It was quiet and polite and Sakura could only assume that it was Hinata- everyone else she knew usually barged in like they owned the place.

The pinkette smiled and she called out. "Come in Hinata."

The violet haired woman entered Sakura's apartment with a small but shy smile on her face- a book in her hands.

"Hello, Sakura." Her voice was warm as she stepped inside. "I was just returning this book you lent me last week."

Sakura smiled. "Did it come in handy? I figured you'd like it."

Hinata nodded and placed the book on Sakura's small glass coffee table. "I've been trying to change how I channel my chakra to better use the Byakugan."

"Well, there are a few more medical texts I can get from Lady Tsunade if you'd like." Sakura said as she reached to take the book from the table, just before her hand touched the text- Hinata's hand snapped out and grabbed Sakura wrist with an almost painful grip.

Sakura was startled to say the least- the look on Hinata's face was one of intense concentration as she activated her Byakugan.

"Hinata, what-?" The pinkette's voice sounded weak in her own ears as she watched helplessly as Hinata inspected the tattoo on her exposed wrist.

"Sakura..." The heiress turned her pearl eyes slowly to look at her friend- a look of upmost sadness crossed her face. "Sakura, what did you do?" Her voice was a whisper as she pulled the other girl closer, Byakugan still activated, she peered into Sakura's emerald eyes. The silver spots had gotten bigger.

"I…" Sakura paused and swallowed. She had been found out. Somehow Hinata knew that she had made a grave misstate. "I.." Her mouth was suddenly bone dry.

"Looks like your secret is out, Priestess." A sly voice said from the corner. Jashin took a smooth step forward, silver glowing eyes attached to the face of Hinata. "Ah the Hyuuga Heiress, I was hoping to meet you at some point." He paused. "I haven't seen a Hyuuga since the last sealing of your branch children."

Hinata immediately pushed Sakura behind her, and raised her palms- chakra already flaring there in preparation of her Gentle Fist technique.

"What do you want, Demon?" Hinata's voice was low and threatening. "What have you done to Sakura?"

Jashin let out a bark of laughter. "I haven't done anything here to the Priestess that she didn't make a deal for." The God smiled eerily.

"What does he mean Sakura? Did you make a deal with him?" Hinata's voice was scared but she held her position strong and refused to lower her glowing hands.

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stepped out from behind her friend and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Calm down Hinata, he is here because I made a deal." The words she spoke sunk through the air like lead and Sakura could see Hinata's face fall as she made the realization.

"What did you bargain for?" Hinata's voice was small and weak as she gently lowered her arms. She looked betrayed.

"I…" Sakura shot a look at the God next to her. "I traded my soul to save Naruto."

"What? Naruto didn't need saving!" Hinata's voice gained more strength as she took another fearless step towards Jashin.

"He _did_ Hinata, the Kyuubi's seal was slowly disintegrating and the only seal master in Konoha was Jaraiya and he's gone." Sakura took another breath. "So I traded my life for the Kyuubi to be permanently sealed within Naruto's soul, and that when he dies so does the tailed beast." Sakura could see her life begin to crumble around her.

Hinata would tell Naruto, and Naruto would never speak to her again. And then it would slowly cascade into a mess and Sakura would be forced to leave her village. Her home. Her precious people.

"Sakura… why, why didn't you tell anyone? Does Naruto know?" Hinata's pale face was sad and angry.

"No, Naruto doesn't know- please, please don't tell him." The pinkette pleaded. "I did this for him, so he could live the life he's always wanted with you and this village. Please don't spoil it with this." Sakura sounded pathetic to herself and felt guilt bubble uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach.

It seemed to take forever before Hinata conceded. "I won't tell him." She took a deep breath and paused. "But you have to tell me everything."

And Sakura did.

-0-

The next few days passed in a blur for Sakura.

She was either working at the hospital, training with her team and now Hinata, or working on a plan to get access to the Nara complex so she could work on unearthing the only other follower of this twisted faith.

Soon a chance presented itself. Sakura was tasked with taking care of one very stubborn and sick Nara heir that refused to leave the complex to attend the hospital.

Sakura had left her home early that morning and was on her way to the Nara complex when she ran into Hinata again.

The Heiress had been treating her with wary regard every time they crossed paths. It made Sakura's heart ache to know that she had lost a friend over her decision.

"Sakura, I need to see you when you're done today." Hinata said quietly as she grasped Sakura's shoulder. "It's about Naruto. He's okay, but there have been some developments I think you should know about."

Hinata's words made Sakura stomach turn over, but she nodded consent. "I'll come by when I'm done with Shikamaru."

-0-

When Sakura came upon the Nara compound she was immediately blown away with how beautiful it was.

Lush trees and small meadows separated the houses, and she could see small herds of deer around the edges of the compound.

When she approached the gate, she was stopped by a jonin that belonged to the clan.

"Name and purpose of visit?"

"Sakura Haruno, medical treatment of Shikamaru Nara." At that the boy gave a snicker.

"He's been complaining all day about having you treat him."

Sakura smiled. That sounded like Shikamaru alright. And so with a short wave the boy let her into the compound while writing what she assumed was her name on the clipboard he carried with him.

Sakura had only been to the Nara compound once before, and that was only briefly so it took her asking a few elderly woman where she could find the main house.

Sakura found the building easily enough after that, and the sight that met her was one she would remember for a long time.

Shikamaru was sitting on the front porch of the main house, face as red a tomato as his mother berated him for being out of bed.

"See, the medical ninja is here now mom so you can leave me alone." Shikamaru shot Sakura a look and the pinkette nodded quickly.

"I will make sure he gets to bed and rests." The pinkette bowed as she was scrutinized by the Nara Matriarch. The dark haired woman nodded once and retreated inside.

"Thank god you got here when you did." Shikamaru mumbled as he leaned forward. "She's been driving me crazy."

"And you should be inside where you can rest." Sakura said firmly as she stepped closer to the Nara boy and placed a hand on his forehead.

"You're burning up." The pinkette shook her head. "You haven't taken anything for this yet?"

Shikamaru said nothing only shook his head as Sakura coddled him into the house where he directed her towards his room with a muttered 'troublesome' every few feet and a sneeze here and there.

-0-

Once Sakura had started Shikamaru on a series of antibiotics for the illness he had picked up in Suna, Sakura wandered into the main receiving area of the main house where she ran into Shikamaru's mother again.

"I managed to get him to bed with some medicine." Sakura said as a way of greeting. "Give him this twice a day with a meal and he should be well within a few days."

The woman nodded in thanks. "If there is anything you require of me, then please say so- I am greatful for you taking care of my brat of a son."

Sakura smiled. "Well, I would really enjoy a tour of your grounds, this is such a beautiful place."

She felt guilty as the woman nodded once and smiled, motioning to a small boy who was standing attentive in the corner of the room.

"Jin, please give this kind lady a tour of the grounds. You can do that right?"

The small boy nodded, and eagerly took Sakura's hand and pulled her out the door quickly.


End file.
